The present invention relates to multimedia digital networks, and more particularly, to set-top boxes for interfacing with external network and entertainment service providers and converting the received information for use or display by in-home products, such as televisions.
The rapid gains in digital technology and telecommunications have increased the desirability of having a network in the home to interconnect a multitude of products in the home with each other and to the outside world. The range of available outside services includes interactive services, cable video and audio services, satellite networks, telephone company services, video on demand, and other types of information services. However, penetration of the personal computer into homes in the United States is approximately 33% and only growing slowly, although governments desire more extensive penetration to encourage xe2x80x9ctelecommutingxe2x80x9d and reduce road traffic and pollution. Further penetration of computers in the home will originate from the purchase of consumer entertainment and informational products containing an embedded computer and operating system hidden by an opaque user interface. Such a product is a conventional set-top box.
Set-top boxes are multi-media computers that augment the use of televisions. A conventional set-top box has an external network interface module that connects the set-top box to the external network and data provider. The network interface module has to perform a number of sophisticated functions, such as interfacing to a specific external network, tuning, demodulation, error correcting, video descrambling, recovery of MPEG clock, and encryption and decryption specific to the external network. Consequently, the network interface module is a relatively expensive component of set-top boxes. This expense would be necessary when even a single television is present in the house. However, most homes contain multiple televisions, and providing each with its own set-top box and associated network interface module is a duplication of expensive components.
Another concern for homeowners is the issue of the service providers. Limitation to one service provider for all services introduced into the home through a set-top box, such as by a telephone provider, restricts the choices of a homeowner and possibly prevents the homeowner from obtaining services at the lowest competitive price. Attempting to overcome this problem with multiple service providers using a stack of multiple set-top boxes on every television in a home is not a viable solution.
There is a need for a set-top computer/audio/video/graphics electronics that with a television display forms an entertainment terminal and network interface arrangement in a single home to access the data from multiple external networks.
These and other needs are met by the present invention which provides an arrangement in which the set-top electronics that support the media output devices, such as televisions, are separate from the network interface units that interface to external networks. The separation of the network interface unit functions from the set-top electronics allows a single network interface unit to be used to interface with an external network and provide programming selectively to a multitude of set-top electronics and televisions within the home. This reduces the need for duplication of the network interface functions at each television or other end product. (media output device) and thereby reduces the costs for the typical homeowner who will have more than one television set in the home. Further, having multiple separate network interface units on the network allows the consumer to pick and choose among available services, and not be constrained to a single service provider. Changing a service may be performed simply by exchanging or adding a different network interface unit configured to interface with the new external network.
The foregoing and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.